Tag Archives: Earth

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Could Strike Earth, Researchers Say, But the Odds are Small

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Could Strike Earth, Researchers Say, But the Odds are Small

You may hear about a large asteroid headed toward Earth. Don’t panic. Just after Christmas Day, astronomers spotted something zipping away from Earth: a rock somewhere between 130 feet and 330 feet long that they named 2024 YR4. Over the next few weeks, they simulated its possible future orbits. They now say, based on the most up-to-date information, that there …

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Earth’s Mini-Moon Was Probably a Piece of Its Real Moon

Earth’s Mini-Moon Was Probably a Piece of Its Real Moon

For a few months last fall, a school-bus-size space rock named 2024 PT5 gained fame as Earth’s new “mini-moon.” Astronomers rushed to study the object while it was still close enough to Earth to observe in detail. Now, one team has concluded that 2024 PT5 is a chunk of the real moon. The rock was most likely flung into space …

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A Meteorite Is Caught on Camera as It Crashes Outside a Front Door

A Meteorite Is Caught on Camera as It Crashes Outside a Front Door

A couple in Canada were returning home from walking their dogs some months ago when they found a burst of dusty debris on their walkway. They turned to their security-camera footage for answers and found it showed a mysterious puff of smoke appearing on the tidy walkway where the mystery splotch was. The source of the splotch was officially registered …

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